Labyrinth of the Heart
by UrsineEnchantment
Summary: It's cold, and dark, and he can't shake the dreadful pit in his chest that there's something, someone, who's missing. Can't shake the crushing loneliness that he has to carry in a strange, often dangerous world. He's incomplete, and he hopes he can fix this, all of this, before it gets to be too much to bear... PMD AU with P5 characters! Includes extra changes from p5's canon story
1. Hallowed Grounds B1F

_Where...Where am I?_

 _How long have I been asleep? Or...did I faint?_

 _It's so cold...and the air smells musty..._

 _My head...it hurts...My limbs feel heavy..._

 _Something's wrong..._

 _I can't just lay here though. I have to move. I need to get up._

Slowly, he managed to force his leaden eyelids to open. He was greeted with blurs of grey and black, and hints of dark blue. Blinking several times to try and bring himself into awareness, the blurs focused into a dark, cloudy sky, with the tips of dead trees entering the edges of his field of vision.

 _What is this place?_

Shaking his head and trying to ignore the pounding ache the action caused, he stretched his arms back and heaved his body upright so he could sit. His forelimbs were shaking from the strain of holding himself up, but he endured it, trying to get a better view of his surroundings. The area around him was just as grim as the sky, full of deceased plants and the skeletons of the few trees and bushes brave enough to struggle on, covered in rotting bark and fungus the colour of bleached bones. The same ghostly white seemed to stay around the very edges of his gaze, he noticed, but no matter which way he turned, it stayed lingering in the corners of his eyes, and he couldn't find the source. Giving up, he glanced at the ground he was sitting on. It looked just as grey as everything else, with the occasional patches of brittle grass clawing out from the cold, dry ground. Carefully, he reached out to feel the dirt, his claws barely able to scratch through the hard-packed surface.

 _Wait...claws?_

He wasn't sure why that observation had sent his stomach twisting. His head was so heavy and this place felt so alien, he didn't know if he felt like mustering up the energy to panic over anything. He was just tired, and confused...he wanted to go back to sleep.

And yet...something had sparked in him after that thought. A deep, nagging feeling that he couldn't quite grasp enough to understand what it wanted. Like when you woke up from a dream, but every thread of memory you tried to cling to just flew from your consciousness, like scattered cobwebs. Why did he feel like something...like something was _missing?_

Whatever that something was, it had wormed its way into his awareness, and although he was tired and sore, he couldn't go back to that blissful, unconscious state anymore. There was a persistent knot of anxiety in his chest now, and sitting here wasn't going to get rid of it. Maybe a short walk would clear his head enough to think properly. Or maybe it would exhaust him enough to collapse.

 _Besides, I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious about all of this._

It took quite a bit of effort, but he managed to heave himself into a standing position, wobbling slightly until his legs had completely awoken. Unsure if a direction mattered, he decided to keep walking the way he was facing, trudging through dead debris and having to side-step a few crumbled rocks. The further he went, the more fog started rolling in, dancing around his feet and beginning to swirl around the sides until he could only make out a couple of feet ahead of him at a time. He wished the wind would clear it. He could feel the chilly breeze as it moaned across his scales, and if he listened carefully he could make out the rustling of dying leaves in a few places. Shivering, he hunched his shoulders. Maybe this walk wasn't such a good idea.

Even without the fog and bitter temperature, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He'd hoped once he got moving and the haze of sleep had cleared he would start feeling better, but moving still felt strange. Like there was something else lurking with him. Not a creature following, but closer, like it was almost _inside of him._ He could feel something long and heavy dragging behind him, and his head still felt dense and off-balance, but there was something worse. He knew he was fairly low to the ground, that much was evident by the short bushes he passed that still almost reached his head, but there was also this bizarre sensation of something _taller_ walking alongside him. Something straighter and less bulky, with strides that were several feet longer than his own and arms that reached further and hung lower, not resting hunched and close to his chest. It was almost like a _phantom,_ something otherworldly, yet still...he almost felt like they were supposed to be together. Like it was supposed to be in _this_ body.

 _Or, maybe...am I supposed to be in that one?_

Either way, something was definitely missing. In this place, in him...it all just felt...lacking. Cold and empty and incomplete. Sighing heavily, he closed his eyes against the puff of white as his breath cooled, only for them to flash open in panic a moment later as his foot hit something solid and he pitched forwards, his face smacking into the ground. There was a distinct cracking noise, but whatever it was, he didn't think it had come from him. At least, nothing about him felt broken. Sitting up and rubbing his foot to ease the ache, he turned to see what he'd tripped over. A rock.

No, a chunk of grey stone. Smoother than a regular rock, if deeply weathered and broken in places. He ran a hand over it, his claw scraping lightly over the jagged surface. This had been something greater once. Some sort of object. He stood carefully, pacing around to the other side. There were more pieces lying around in the dirt, some smaller, some much bigger. Upon peering closer, he noticed symbols had been engraved into parts of the stone. Letters.

 _What was this?_

He started to pick up the pieces one by one, placing them into a pile. If he didn't have anything better to do, he could at least fix this.

Catching sight of a chunk lying further away, he trudged over to it, digging through the debris to pick it up. As he brushed a few brown leaves aside, another, larger stone caught his attention. Curved at the top, and ensnared by ivy, but in decent condition by this place's standards. Cocking his head, he managed to make out the script carved into it. Or at least, what hadn't been worn away.

R-N-A-M-M-Y-A

Well, that didn't tell him much. Shrugging, he picked up the broken chunk of stone and brought it back to his pile. This seemed to be all that he could find. He could at least try to put it back together.

He had no concept of time here, not when his head still felt foggy and with everything remaining shrouded in the cold and the dark. But building this stone object was at least giving him something to focus on besides all of his questions. No need to wonder how he ended up here, or whether he was supposed to look like this or that creature he had felt walking with him. No need to wonder if the temperature was going to keep dropping, or if he could find something to sate the gnawing hunger in his empty stomach. No, his only questions were which piece fit where, which letters formed which patterns, or what he'd managed to break in the first place.

He eventually managed to answer two of those questions as he stood before the object. It probably wouldn't hold up for long in harsher conditions, since he didn't have any mud or another way to hold the pieces together, but it could stand completed for now. He could read the words on the stone.

AKIRA KURUSU

Why did those two words send a chill through him, deeper than that of the deathly wind swirling through this place?

 _Akira Kurusu..._

 _Could that be what I'm missing?_

Why, then...

Why was it written on a _gravestone?_


	2. Hallowed Grounds B2F

A gravestone.

The image in front of him started to blur, and he reached his arms outwards, clutching the stone to try and stay upright. His stomach was twisting again, and despite the chilly air he felt a rush of heat wash over him. Panting hard, he tried to fight off the wave of dizziness. Despite his efforts, he found himself lurching forwards. Reeling back in a panic, his hands slipped, pulling the loose stone construction down with him.

The clatter of rock pieces coating his stomach and chest served to jolt him back into awareness before he could actually pass out, but it brought additional weight besides what was physically on top of him. No, it felt like stone had settled in his heart as well, cold and heavy.

He almost considered lying there. Just stay buried underneath the stones, waiting for the cold to finish the job. The chill already felt like it was seeping into his bones, and the tips of his fingers and his feet were growing numb.

 _Who were you, Akira?_

Why did this single gravestone make him feel so...lost? Sick, and anxious, and...sad. Not the sympathetic mourning anyone would feel when stumbling upon a grave, but deeper, more personal...

 _How did I know you?_

What am I supposed to be doing here?

His fingers clasped around one of the chunks of stone, and he lifted it off of his chest, staring at the 'A', tracing the indentations with a single claw over and over.

 _What am I missing?_

Setting the rock back down on his chest, he closed his eyes, listening to the howling of the wind around him. It should have been an eerie sound, but at this point, he could almost consider it a lullaby. He was so tired...Cold and tired. Maybe he could just rest here for a while. Maybe sleep would bring answers.

 **Thunk.**

The sudden sound had forced his eyes open again, wide with confusion. What had that been? He hadn't knocked any more rocks over.

 **Thunk.**

He turned his head from side to side, but he couldn't see anything besides the lonely scenery around him. The land was still, spare the wind brushing a few dead trees, but it wasn't a strong enough breeze to break any of the branches. There was nothing out here.

 **Thunk.**

His heartbeat quickened as he realized that last one had sounded closer, not too far off from the right of him. A panicked glance that way revealed nothing, and he stiffened, holding his breath in an attempt to avoid drawing attention to himself.

 **Thunk.**

There was _something_ out here. Lungs burning, he was forced to gasp as he let air rush back into him, struggling to shove the chunks of stone from his body as quickly as he could. He needed to move. He needed to _run._

Standing up took considerable effort, his limbs not as willing to cooperate when they were half-numb, but his spiking terror was enough of a jumpstart to get his muscles to move, and he staggered forwards. Guilt sank in his stomach as he stumbled through the remains of the grave he'd broken not once, but twice. Perhaps this thing, whatever it was that was thumping nearby, was meant to be his punishment.

He didn't have the nerves to wait and find out, even if his fate was to accept whatever dreadful thing was lurking here.

 _I'm sorry. I'll fix things, somehow..._

 **Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.**

The pace of the noise was quickening, always just a few feet behind him. Sharp branches and the occasional thorn scraped his sides as he scrambled onwards, tripping over his own feet and clawing the ground with his hands as he hurried through the dead vegetation, more old gravestones appearing from the fog as he went further. So it hadn't been just a few lone burials then. He'd stumbled into a full graveyard...

He didn't dare look behind him, always ensuring he was moving forward, his breath puffing out in uneven pants and gasps as he struggled for air. Dizziness began to nag at him again from the strain of so much movement, the edges of his vision speckling with black or white spots, and if that wasn't enough, those strange phantom limb sensations were coming back, causing his already-unsteady gait to falter as he found himself misjudging the distances his legs could travel in each step. The ground leapt up to meet his face as he tripped and fell to the dirt, disoriented.

 **Thunk.**

Fear was still coursing through him, but he wasn't sure if he had the energy to keep moving anymore. Every cell seemed to be stinging, and he could feel the dizziness increasing by the moment, fed by both his exhaustion and the ever-present hunger wracking his belly. Weakly, his clenched claws released their grip on the soil, his bleary gaze staring along the ground in front of him.

 **Thunk.**

 _Creeeeeaaak..._

Slowly, the massive stone slab he'd collapsed in front of began moving, groaning as it slid across the dirt to reveal a dark corridor. The musty stench of decay assaulted his nostrils as a gust of air rushed outside.

 _A door?_

The last thing he saw before his eyelids fell shut was a pair of glowing red eyes. The last thing he felt was an icy touch on his back.


	3. Bygone Crypt B1F

"Ther-...you're ou-...-he cold..."

 _What are those noises? They're kind of echoing..._

"No ne-..to than-...I -ope...-find..."

 _A voice? I can't quite make it out..._

He strained to listen, but he couldn't hear anything else. Had something really been here with him? Or had it just been his imagination? What had pulled him from the darkness of sleep?

His jaws opening in a silent yawn, he stretched out the rest of his body, arching his back into the movement before he pushed himself off of his stomach. His claws scrabbled against hard stone for a moment before he could gain the purchase he needed, but he managed to sit up, his head spinning ever-so-briefly before his sense of balance settled. He squinted, trying to peer around. There were torches placed on the walls around him, but they only illuminated small sections of the area, shadows and cobwebs swallowing up the rest.

 _Where am I? I think I remember seeing a door open earlier, but I don't see one around here..._

Standing up carefully, he took a few wobbly steps forward, stopping as his foot bumped against something. An apple rolled across the floor, slowing to a halt next to a large bronze dish. The dish held an entire pile of the crimson fruit, looking unusually fresh compared to the rest of the dusty scenery. A slow growl echoed around the room then, and he flinched, staring around warily for an attacker before he realized his own stomach had been the culprit.

 _I'm starving, but still...I probably shouldn't touch anything in here. It's not mine._

Forcing himself to turn away, he moved slowly towards one of the walls. They seemed much bigger once you were close up, and he had to tilt his head back to try and see the strange engravings carved into the stone. None of them seemed to be any form of alphabet, just pictures...pictures of strange creatures. Some seemed peaceful, others fighting viciously, and some...they were alone. Lost. Like him.

That empty feeling settled in his gut again, but it was almost canceled out by another sharp pang as his stomach growled again.

 _Well...I can't find any answers if I pass out again..._

Hesitantly, he made his way back to the dish and reached for an apple, clutching it in his claws while he glanced around the room once more. If it wasn't meant for him, surely someone would appear to fuss at him, right? Someone had to have brought these here _recently,_ so if they were still here, they would hear him. Taking a small bite of the fruit, he listened to the crunch echo around him, waiting with bated breath.

No one was coming. He couldn't hear a sound. Maybe whoever had brought these had left already?

Shrugging his shoulders, he turned his full attention to the fruit in his hands, chomping down with a much larger bite this time. His mouth was watering now, and eating felt strange, his own jaws slipping between feeling just right or feeling far too big and clunky. The disconnect between the two shifting sensations left him chewing awkwardly, bits and pieces of the fruit falling out of his mouth as juice dripped down his face, but his appetite was too eager for him to care as he reached for a second apple, then a third. He only paused when a half-chewed piece went down his throat the wrong way and sent him into a coughing fit, wheezing and fumbling around until his claws grasped a goblet he spotted to his right. He ended up dumping about half of the water into his face instead of his mouth, but he finally managed to wash the piece of fruit down, gasping for air and panting for a few minutes while he recovered. Shaking off what was left of the water from his face, he set the empty goblet back down next to the dish of apples, then began stepping towards the wall again.

With his energy restored, maybe he could start making some progress in exploring this place. He couldn't make much sense of the images and symbols decorating the walls in this room, but one of the torches at the end of the far left was illuminating the start of a hallway. It was as good a path to begin with as any...

 _ **XXX**_

The air in this place was musty and stale, and every inhale _reeked_ of decay, but if there was one positive thing he could list, at least it was warmer in here than it had been outside. He had feeling in all of his fingers and toes, and the radiating heat from any torches he passed left a pleasing tingle along his scales. There weren't any eerie winds howling either, just the sound of his own footsteps against the stone.

Yes, just his own footsteps for hallway after hallway. Nothing lonely about that...

It took a while for the scenery to change, and he was surprised to glance up from the floor and find that this hallway ended in a set of stairs. They seemed to be short enough for his legs, luckily, but the room they led down into seemed darker than what he'd seen so far. Much darker.

 _I haven't seen any other rooms though. This might be the only way to keep exploring._

Standing on his tiptoes, he managed to grasp one of the torches attached to the wall. With a light source in claw, he began to descend the staircase, hunching his shoulders slightly as he tried to scan the shadows that were swallowing him up.

It was nearly pitch black by the time he reached the floor, and the torch only provided enough light to see for about a foot ahead of him in any direction. He walked slowly, waving his light source around to ensure he didn't trip on anything as he crept deeper into the room. As he reached the middle, a large object caught his attention.

A box. A large, stone box.

No, wait. There were more here. A whole row, all made of the same blank stone. The only distinguishing features between them were the variety of cobwebs stuck to different portions. Despite the muggy heat here, a slight chill ran up his spine at the sight of them.

 _Are these...what I think they are?_

If they were, the respectful thing would be to leave them alone. They clearly hadn't been bothered for a long time, and it was probably best for things to stay that way. But...Akira's name had been written out there, on that stone. Couldn't that mean that they might be here (for better or worse)? Or if nothing else, some of their belongings, or a kind of memento?

He swallowed and tried to steel himself against the twisting nerves gathering in his stomach, setting the torch down on one of the other boxes so he had both hands free. Gripping the smooth stone lid, he began tugging it up and pushing it to the side, a task not made easy by the weight of the object. He paused once it had been moved about halfway, leaning over to squint inside the box.

 _It's...empty?_

Nothing but a layer of dust in the bottom. He wasn't sure if that was a relief, or just frustrating. Shaking his head, he pulled the lid back into place, glancing at the box to his right.

 _I should check the rest, just to be sure._

He picked the torch up and moved it back to rest on the first box, then repeated the struggle of moving the heavy slab of rock. This one did actually have something inside. A dusty velvet cushion, which seemed to have been a dark blue before it had gotten all grungy. He reached down to stroke the yellow tassels on the corners, cocking his head. Try as he did to think, he didn't recognize this cushion at all.

 _I'm sorry for disturbing your things, whoever you were._

Tugging the lid back again left him panting. He slowly allowed himself to slide down and sit on the floor to rest, staring forlornly at the last container. Was it even going to be worth the effort, or would it just be another disappointment?

 _I just want to know why I'm here, and who Akira was...Please, what am I missing?_

What if he never figured anything out? Would he just be stuck wandering around in unsettling ruins and graveyards forever?

Sighing, he heaved himself back to his feet and stepped over to the last box.

 _I shouldn't hold my breath, I guess._

This lid seemed to be heavier than the last two, and it took him a good few extra minutes of heaving to shove it out of the way. Leaning in, his stomach sank like he'd swallowed a piece of the stone.

There was a thick, white bone inside.

 _I can't even tell what kind of part that's supposed to be, or what it came from. And why just one?_

Cautiously, he reached inside to stroke it, but he was puzzled when he felt the texture. It didn't feel smooth, but there wasn't any kind of break in it. Pulling it out, he stepped closer to the light on the middle box and turned the bone over in his claws.

 _An engraving?_

The marks were thin and precise, proving they had been carved with great care, and once he turned the bone horizontally, he found they were letters.

A

 _That name again. But why here?_

 _ **XXX**_

"Akira! Where are you? It's already dark! Your dinner's getting cold!"

"Sorry, Mom. I lost track of time, but I'm on my way home now. I should be there in twenty minutes, maybe less."

"Hhh...alright. Sometimes I wonder what you get up to all day. Just don't get into any trouble, alright?"

"I won't, don't worry. Bye."

Shoving the phone in his pocket, he ran a hand through soft hair, then started walking again. His strides were long and easy as he made his way through a maze of narrow streets, with a variety of nightlife sounds filling the air around him.

 _This...this is the same form I felt when I tried to run back in that graveyard. It's so much taller, and it doesn't have scales, or a tail._

 _This place feels so familiar. And that woman's voice...why does it hurt to hear it?_

As he turned a corner and passed a large window, he spotted the reflection. Black hair covered his head, and glasses sat on his nose, glinting in the streetlights. He was thin, and looked calm.

 _That's...that's me, isn't it? Is this what I'm missing? My form, and this place?_

 _That woman, my mother...she called me Akira. So if that's my name, then...why was it-_

 _ **XXX**_

A loud clatter jolted him into awareness, and he glanced around in a panic to find the source of the noise. Where were the lights, the night sky, the buildings? All he could see was stone, cobwebs and darkness!

As his gaze turned down to the floor, he noticed the large bone rolling to a stop.

 _Oh. Right._

Akira. So he hadn't just known that name. He _was_ Akira. And whatever this place was, it wasn't where he belonged. This body wasn't where he belonged either.

Flexing his claws with a renewed sense of unease, he snatched the bone back up, hugging it to his chest. This old thing might be his last link to whatever scrap of memory he'd managed to uncover. He was going to cling to it like some kind of precious treasure.

 _ **CREEEEAAAKKK~**_

He stiffened as a terrible noise filled the room, shaking the floor and causing the lid he hadn't put back to rattle and fall to the floor. His torch rolled off of the other coffin, the scrap of light vanishing as it fell out of his sight.

The room didn't stay dark for long though. As he turned to face the sound, he saw a sliver of white light peeking in, the ray growing larger as the far wall began to move and reveal a dirt hallway, sloping upwards into an open space.

 _A doorway?_

He slunk forwards, making his way to the very edge and peeking his head out.

Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he was greeted with an array of green hues, mixed with browns and reds. Bushes, grass, a bunch of scattered flowers...was there a whole forest out there?

It was the first sign of life he's seen since he'd woken up the first time! He could smell all kinds of sweet scents, fresh enough to chase out the dusty air that he felt like he'd been carrying in his lungs. And there was actual sunlight!

 _Please, don't be a trick._

His footsteps were stumbling, but eager as he hurried outside and tried to navigate the grassy terrain. His feet and tail kept getting caught in the tendrils of vines and branches, but he pressed on, moving and not daring to look back at whatever dead place he'd come from.

He halted in a clearing several minutes later, panting for breath as he sat down to rest against a tree trunk. The bark didn't scratch his tough hide, and he pressed his head back, closing his eyes. He may have overdone it on the running. His legs were aching, and his lungs and throat burned.

 _Water. I need water._

Using his bone as a cane of sorts, he pushed himself up again, soon catching sight of a stream just past the edge of the clearing. He shuffled towards it, plunging his head in immediately to take deep, sloppy gulps. He only stopped drinking when his lungs stung for air again, pulling back with a gasp. A gasp that was soon accompanied with another one as he flinched back from a ghostly white shape that appeared in the water.

 _What was that thing!?_

Wait...

Tentatively, he leaned forwards again, his heart aching as he looked more carefully at the creature staring back. Bone covered its face from the top of the head all the way over the jaw, cracked at the edges and marked around the eyes with what looked like old tear stains. Dry, mud-brown scales covered everything else except for a pale underbelly, and the claws on his hands were thick and jagged.

It was an ugly, hunched reptile, and it was pretty depressing to look at.

 _I look just as dead and dirty as everything else in that other place did..._

"Aw yeah, just a little faster and-WOAH! LOOK OUT BUDDY!"

He barely had time to register the shout before he felt something crash into his left side. The force of the impact sent him skidding through the grass, the ridges on his back digging sharply into the dirt as the back of his head smacked into the ground. Something else landed on top of him as they finally skidded to a stop, and he winced as the creature tried to stand, digging into his softer stomach in the process.

"Aw geez, that was rough..."

He opened his eyes as he felt the creature step off of him, letting his gaze wander over what looked like some sort of furry mammal. Its coat was a striking golden colour, and it had long, black tipped ears, and a few brown stripes. Its cheeks were bright red too, unnaturally so. But then again, what was natural about a lizard with a skull for a face?

"What're ya' starin' at me like that for? You didn't knock your head too hard, did ya'? Here, get up."

Slightly stunned, he couldn't think to do much else besides take the yellow hand (paw?) offered to him as the other creature pulled him to stand upright. They seemed to be about the same height.

"Hey, uh, sorry for crashin' into ya' like that." It was scratching the fur behind its head now, a strangely-shaped tail lowering much like an apologetic dog's. "This forest is my new training ground, and I was trying to get my speed up. Guess I couldn't see ya' through the trees until it was too late, y'know? You aren't hurt too bad, are ya?"

He shook his head no, still trying to get a good look at the animal in front of him.

"Well, that's good, I guess. I haven't seen ya' around here before though. Ya' got a name?"

A name...yes, at least he had that. He opened his jaws, flexing them a few times to prepare to speak.

 _"Hhh..."_

He tried a couple more times, but he couldn't seem to force any sound to come out besides a soft sigh or gasp of air. His mouth still felt so big and strange...he may have been able to adjust to most of this new body, but his mouth was shaped too differently from his other form. He'd have to learn new mouth movements if he hoped to speak. If he even _could_ speak with this form.

The other creature didn't seem to realize he'd been trying to say something, instead taking the sighs as a sign of disappointment. "Hey, uh, I didn't mean to upset ya'...do ya' seriously not have one?" A paw patted him on the head as the creature knit its brows together in thought. "How about I call you...Skull! Yeah, you've got that thing on your head, and it looks _totally sick!_ Pretty cool name, right?"

He flinched away from the extra contact, his stomach twisting. Why would he want to be named after this mask of death? It didn't feel 'cool', it made him feel lost and confused and empty and-

 _Where's the bone?_

He'd had it earlier, but it wasn't in his grip anymore. He must have dropped it when that creature crashed into him!

 _I can't lose it, I can't! It's all I have!_

Stumbling past the rodent, he started rummaging through the grass along the riverbank, his chest pounding with panic.

 _Where is it?!_

"What are ya' looking for? Is it this thing?"

He whipped around in time to see the creature pick up the bone from a spot of grass behind that strange tail. He hurried over, snatching it from the rodents paws to look it over. Good, it wasn't damaged.

"Is a bone really that important? Well, I guess for a critter named Skull, it would be, heheh!"

Stiffening at the repeated nickname, he held the bone out with the letters facing the other creature, pointing insistently with his other hand.

"A-ki-ra...Akira? Wait, is that your name then?"

He nodded vigorously, almost losing his balance when the weight of his mask threw off the motion.

"Alright then, Akira. Name's Ryuji, it's cool to meet ya'!"


	4. Forest

"So, I don't know your species, but what's a pokemon like you doin' in a forest, Akira? I mean, no offense, but ya' don't really look like the type to hang around places that aren't...creepy. Ya' passing through on your way somewhere?"

He tried to maintain a neutral expression despite the sting the comment caused. He'd seen by his reflection in the water that he definitely wasn't an appealing creature, but hearing it from someone else made it seem more truthful. So he wasn't going to be welcome in these woods either...

 _But I don't want to go back to that other place..._

Unsure how else to answer, he settled for a non-committal shrug. The other creature cocked his head and furrowed his eyebrows.

"What, are you tryin' to be all mysterious or somethin'? I was just gonna offer to give ya' some directions, sheesh."

Directions? Well, he didn't have any goals in mind, so it might be worth hearing Ryuji out. He could at least learn a bit more about what lay beyond here, and find a starting point for his travels. He made an attempt to look more interested, staring at the rodent with wide eyes that, hopefully, didn't come across as unsettling.

"Oh sure, _now_ you're listening. Alright then, where are you headed?"

"..."

"I, uh, can't really give ya' directions if you don't say nothin'..." Ryuji huffed. "You're awful quiet, y'know? Even if you're shy, ya' gotta give me somethin' to work with."

Did Ryuji really just think he was shy? He'd thought that he'd gotten the point across by now. Apparently not. Opening his jaws pointedly, he tried to say his name. All that came out were a few huffs of air and a slight growling noise, then silence. Holding the tip of his bone up, he made the gesture of drawing an 'X' over his throat.

Ryuji looked puzzled for a moment before it apparently sank in, the creature letting out a groan as he slapped his forehead. "Ohhhh! So ya' seriously can't talk?! That's gotta totally suck! Er, n-no offense!"

He just shrugged again. It was definitely inconvenient, and frustrating, but it wasn't like there was anything he could do about it right now. He'd just have to roll along with it, just like this new body.

"Alright then, now that that's cleared up, how about I just stick to stuff you can nod for? Like yes or no questions!"

He gave him a grateful nod for yes.

"Cool. Okay then, back to the first thing. Are ya' passing through here on your way to somewhere in particular?"

No.

"Huh. Okay...do ya' live here then?"

No.

"Well, if ya' aren't goin' anywhere and ya' don't live here, _why the heck_ are ya' here?!"

A shrug.

Ryuji just looked baffled, staring at him with equal parts concern and frustration. "Ya' can't talk _and_ you're completely lost...You're a real wreck, y'know that?"

 _Oh, I definitely know that..._

Ryuji groaned again, pacing in place for a few moments while he thought things over. "Well, I guess if ya' don't have anywhere else to go, you could follow me back to town? Maybe you'll figure somethin' out once ya' get there. Sound good?"

Nodding vigorously, he stepped behind Ryuji, prepared to follow him. _A town! There'll be plenty of buildings there. I can get some food, maybe pick up a map..._

"Alright then. Come on, Akira, let's head back! Try to keep up!"

The rodent had taken off on all fours, prancing through the grass and jumping over tree roots like they were nothing. He struggled to run behind as they left the clearing, keeping a tight grip on his bone and sticking his tail out for balance as he stumbled along after his new guide. Weeds and low hanging branches kept snagging him as he ran, and he growled under his breath, reaching out his free hand to swipe at the pesky tendrils with his claws.

He definitely wasn't very agile. Maybe this form was supposed to be suited for more open spaces?

"Geez, you're slow! Alright, hang on, I'll slow down a bit."

He was grateful for the lighter pace, huffing for breath while Ryuji sat on a log to wait for him. Once they'd rested for a minute, the rodent stood, walking on all fours and mostly sticking to his side, spare a few times when he'd run a few paces ahead to verify their course. It was interesting to watch the creature move. He never seemed to still himself completely, always letting at least an ear or his tail twitch, and his paws could climb up tree trunks with ease whenever he needed to get a higher view. He could jump at least twice his body length too, leaping up and down or darting in zig-zagging patterns to reach things. It was like every object in the forest was a possible platform, instead of just walking along the ground like he himself had to.

If he had to compare it to something, he'd say Ryuji moved much like lightning did. Fast, changing directions in a heartbeat. Yes, just like that.

Heh. Come to think of it, the creature's tail almost looked like a lightning bolt, if you glanced at it from a certain angle.

"I told ya' how this forest was my new trainin' ground, right?"

He nodded, taking care to step around a fallen log so that he didn't have to scramble over it.

"Yeah, I've been workin' real hard, runnin' everyday! That's why I'm so much faster than your sluggish butt!" Ryuji snickered. "I gotta be fast to do my job around town, and things've been gettin' rough, so I found this new spot to work on dodgin' obstacles and st-WHOA!"

Ryuji's ears pinned themselves back against his head, and he leapt away from the rock he'd just jumped onto before it began sinking into the ground. As the sod chunks began crumbling near the rock's edges, a rumbling noise began growing loud enough for him to hear it as well, and he was startled to feel the grassy ground shaking under his toes.

"Crap! Come on dude, we gotta move, _now!"_

As he scrambled after the fleeing rodent, the rumbling grew louder and louder, until it seemed to be echoing from every possible direction. The ground was growing treacherous with the constant shaking making it difficult to maintain his footing as he ran, and more and more chunks of soil seemed to be crumbling right where he was planning to step. Leaves and different nuts and fruits were hailing down from above, the latter two beating along his hide and pelting the skull on his head in ways that made his ears ring (well, ear holes). A thunderous crack to his right was followed by a slamming thud as a tree collapsed onto the path, the rush of wind and debris forcing him to stop and cower for a second. It had just barely missed crushing him, and his heart was slamming against his ribcage as he glanced around, spotting no routes to go around the massive trunk. Shoving his treasured bone into his mouth, he clenched his teeth carefully, praying he wouldn't mess up the engravings as he leapt forwards, digging both hands into the bark.

He could barely make out a voice over the all-consuming noise.

"Dude, where are you?! Dang it!"

Kicking his legs, he finally managed to get his hind claws to dig in as well, and he started climbing, as quickly as possible, not daring to look at the collapsing landscape behind him. Chunks of old bark fell away with each of his movements, but he finally managed to heave himself up, spotting Ryuji leaping around from perch to perch as his guide made his way over to the log.

"Geez, thank Arceus I found ya'! Hop on down and let's ditch this place before things gets worse!"

Standing up proved to be dangerous with the shaking all around him, but he managed to find his footing, sticking his arms out on either side. Without hesitation, he leaped, but the impact seemed much stronger than a landing should have been. It was reverberating all through him, and just as he tried to step forward to join Ryuji, he felt it.

A knot had jumped from his stomach into his throat as he fell, the sight of the forest falling away into the darkness of crumbling earth. He'd felt Ryuji's paw grip his hand for a split second, but then they'd lost contact, and he was left tumbling through empty space and being pelted by the falling debris around him.

A slamming jolt broke his fall, pain shooting through his body. He tried to open his eyes and sit up, but the moment he did his vision swam, his head spinning and aching like he'd been bashed with a sledgehammer.

 _I can't..._

Letting his head fall back to rest on the ground, he closed his eyes, immediately drifting into darkness.

 _ **XXX**_

"Agh! Geez, my head feels like it's been cracked open! What kind of dang-Dude! Akira, you okay?!"

Who's voice is that? Do they have to be so loud?

"Come on dude, this isn't funny! Get up!"

Shaking. The earth was shaking. No, wait, just him. Someone was shaking him.

Cracking open an eye brought nothing but the sting of something falling into it, and he winced, reaching up to try and rub at it.

"Oh, you're wakin' up! Hang on buddy, I think ya' got a lil' somethin' there..."

Feeling his own arm get pushed away, he had to choice but to wait as instructed, soon feeling soft fingers brushing around his closed eyes.

"Man, you've got dirt all up in this thing! No wonder it's gettin' in your eyes! Ya' ever think of like, takin' this ugly thing off and-"

 _It stays on!_

A sharp snarl had escaped his jaws before he'd even had a chance to consider his actions, the bone in his teeth clattering to the floor as he gnashed his teeth in warning. Opening up his eyes revealed a sight that quickly silenced him though.

There, sitting just a foot away from him, was a creature he soon remembered as the Ryuji from before, and he looked uncharacteristically nervous. His yellow and brown pelt was puffed up, every muscle tensed like he was prepared to spring out of the way, and his teeth were bared, showing off pearly white canines. One of his forepaws was slightly raised and trembling, and while he couldn't spot any sort of injury, it was clear that the creature must have just jerked it out of the way.

 _I didn't mean to...Why did I...?_

"Hey man, I was just tryin' to help!" the creature hissed, stepping forwards to stare him down despite the slight quiver in his voice. "I don't care how mad you are, ya' don't go around attackin' pokemon! Especially without any dang warning!"

 _I would never attack someone...or at least, I don't think I would? I...I don't think I did before...did I?_

He tucked his tail in, attempting to make himself smaller as he scooted backwards to give Ryuji some space. What had even triggered him to act that way? All Ryuji had done was help brush the dirt from his eyes! Sure, he'd made that comment, but he hated this hideous skull anyways! So...why had he suddenly felt so violently protective at _the mere idea_ of removing it?

He hadn't even thought about it before he'd tried to bite him...what if he got that way again? This new form...was he some sort of _monster_ after all? If so...maybe he deserved to stay down here...

"Hey...Akira, what's goin' on?"

Ryuji's voice seemed to have calmed while he'd been busy thinking, and now the creature was cocking its head to study him, fur smoothed down and body relaxed.

"Ya' don't look like you're still aggressive or anything, so I guess that means you're sorry? I kinda snapped at you too, I guess, so uh...that's my apology. I shouldn't've pried, y'know? Guess I wouldn't want somebody tuggin' on my face!" he chuckled, rubbing his paws together awkwardly. "Anyway, whad'ya say we both move on, long as it doesn't happen again? We got more important stuff to worry about..." he added, gesturing upwards.

Nodding and following where Ryuji's fingers were pointing, he finally took note of the area they had woken up in. They were surrounded by walls on all sides, and far above them was a sprawling hole, inconsistent in shape and littered with dangling vines, branches, and other objects that were hanging off of the edges, balanced precariously. The thing looked like it could cave in again at any moment.

"Remember what happened before you blacked out, when everything started crumblin'? I'm pretty sure that was an earthquake? Or maybe we were on top of one of those 'sinkhole' thingies? Anyway, there've been all kinds of weird natural disasters like that happening around the continent, so I guess it figures we'd get caught in the middle of one at some point. I thought that forest was clear when I scoped it out a few days ago, but there must've been some hollow ground pretty far underneath it. I'm guessin' the disaster just cleared enough of the solid ground on top for us to fall through. We fell pretty dang far, too..."

 _Natural disasters? All around the continent?_

Great. The world in his vague memory had seemed much safer...

"Well, we sure can't get back up from there. There aren't enough footholds for me, and even if there were, you can't climb that well. Plus the ground's probably still super unstable anyways." Ryuji sighed, rubbing the back of his head with a forepaw. "Guess we'll just have to find another way outta here. Looks a lot like a tunnel system to me, so there's gotta be some holes that lead above ground somewhere else in the forest. The only question is how many turns we'll have to take before we find the right one, y'know?"

Brushing the rest of the dirt off of his fur, Ryuji began walking again, ears twitching as he reached the first opening and poked his head around. "Yeah, it opens up into a narrow path here. Definitely gonna be some tunnels then. Most of 'em will probably loop around into each other, so we gotta look for the few that angle up! Those'll lead back to the surface." Seeing Ryuji beckon with his tail, he trotted after him, peeking around the corner to look at the path for himself. The dirt walls rose up for several feet on all the surrounding sides, and he could only see because of the patches of sunlight that shone through a few holes in the greenery-covered roof.

"Ya' might wanna be careful, Akira. These tunnels look too fresh to be abandoned. I'll bet'cha a bunch of rattata or somethin' made their nests down here. Should be fine though. Most pokemon don't mind ya' passin' through their territory as long as you're polite and stuff. Just don't steal their food or step on their tails or anythin', and we'll be outta here in no time. Heck, maybe we can get one of them to lead us out of here..."

He had no idea what a 'rattata' was, but to be fair, it probably didn't matter. He just needed to keep watch for anything that looked alive, basically. Just avoid any strange living thing at all, and he'd be fine. Mind his own business. He could do that.

These sure were bizarre looking tunnels though. They twisted around in ways that felt almost unnatural, sometimes opening up into massive rooms that took a while to walk through, or turning into a whole bunch of tiny dead ends that required them to backtrack all over again until they found a new path to follow. If something was building these tunnels to live in and go places, wouldn't they be more streamlined, more efficient?

 _Maybe they were designed to trap trespassers..._

Stiffening up at the thought, he clutched his bone tighter, quickening his footsteps to follow Ryuji. Maybe they should start marking their path, so that they wouldn't be confused if they ended up going in a circle? Reaching out his right arm, he dug his claws into the soil, testing it. Not too crumbly, but not rock hard either. Perfect. Keeping his hand there, he progressed more slowly, leaving a long claw mark as they began rounding the corner.

"Hey, good thinkin', Akira! Keep doin' that whenever we gotta pick a direction!"

 _ **XXX**_

And so on and on it had progressed for turn after turn, each growing more frustrating than the last. What kind of creature needed to live in tunnels that were this confusing!? Oddly enough, he hadn't seen a single soul since they had been down here either. Did anyone live here at all? Maybe Ryuji had been wrong...

"Ooh, dude, I think I finally found it! Come on!"

His energy renewed from the idea that they might finally be done walking soon, he quickened his pace to follow Ryuji, darting into the next room with him. However, he soon slammed into the creature's striped back, barely regaining his balance to keep them both from falling over.

Why did he stop? What is it?

"Crap...Listen, Akira, I think this was the easy part..."

 _Huh?_

Ryuji began walking forwards, finally giving his room to see what the other was staring at. A bizarre set of stairs, tucked away into the middle of the floor. They didn't quite seem solid, shimmering almost like a mirage.

"Stick close to me, alright? I don't think this is just some set of tunnels after all. I uh, I think it's a dungeon..."

 _A dungeon?_


End file.
